Prairie Success

The prarie garden in the backyard is succeeding! I am attracting new insects like butterflies that weren't coming to the space when it was just turfgrass. They are finding habitat and food with the plant selections found here. It is very rewarding to see this happen in a year's time. The butterfly is a Monarch (Danaus Plexippus) and the caterpillar will become an Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio Polyxenes).

What plants haven't performed well

There are some plants through the yard that have not performed this year due to the drought of last. It doesn't make them bad plants to use, but that they have struggled. Currently, we are in a dry spell, so it isn't helping matters. Here are some of the plants:

• Columbine - many plants have not come back this year, I'll be reseeding them
• Red Dogwood - they do not seem to like it hot and dry therefore have struggled the last two years
• Hostas - plants are smaller this year and are not very full
• Swamp Milkweed - the new seedlings are doing fine, but the plants from last year are not doing as well